Little Moon has been with us for 6 weeks now and boy is she blossoming. She has gone from a timid girl carrying her tail between her legs most of the time, to a sassy and goofy girl who loves to play around. She loves to try and catch our hands, she loves to do rattie runs in the yard, she tries to get Skip to play with her all the time on our bed, and she also loves to play with toys! She is really lightening up and it has been so fun to watch her.
Moon loves to get her kibble from the pickle.
Silly girl trying to get me to play the hand game
We got this cool squirrel toy and I would put the squirrels in and then later in the day they would be out and a few of the dogs would be squeaking them so I never knew who was taking them out in the first place. It was Moon! I caught her in the act the other day. Here is how she gets them out.
It was the same story with this toy. This fish has eggs inside that have to be taken out. I would see the eggs around the house and yep you guessed it, it was Moon all the time who was "fishing" them out.
Yesterday Moon and Yoshi were up to something in this tree. I think it was the fact that a gray squirrel had been running up and down it. This little clip shows how inquisitive Moon is when you get to the end you can see her trying so hard to get Skip to play with her, but all he wants to do is have me throw his ball. :)
Here is Moon showing her stuff. She did this at the dog park and she also loves to do it at home. She likes a dog to chase her and then she turns on the moves. She is so fast I can't even keep up with the video camera. Moon can fly.
And lastly, here is Moon playing on our bed with Skip. She loves to play with Skip and he is nice enough to indulge her once in a while.
Seattle is in her normal spring cycle of rain, rain and more rain, with little spots of sun thrown in. In Snohomish where we live and are in the convergence zone we get even less sun and more rain, but there was a short period of time on Saturday where we did have a spot of sun and the dogs in the house quickly found their sunspot to keep them warm. Sunspotting is one charming aspect to having dogs in the house as far as I'm concerned.Moon with her pretty white coat and pink ears just glows in the sun.
Such a pretty girl with glowing ears.
Skippy....
Yoshi aka Landau who is visiting
Sage enjoys the sun so much he didn't run from the camera.
Moon got a chance to meet a couple of our past foster dogs, Landau now Yoshi, and Sunbeam now Izzy. We are petsitting Yoshi for 10 days while his family is away. Yoshi actually was here in our home when Izzy was here so there were reunions all round with humans and dogs! Yoshi hit the jackpot with his forever home and his people are really missing him. His dad who works from home and spends so much time with Yoshi on walk breaks and teaching him tricks was having a hard time saying goodbye, and who can blame him, Yoshi has brought such joy to his new home with his rattiness and lovin's. His mom cooks him all sorts of healthy snacks to fill his little tummy that never feels like it gets enough. She has gotten really creative and he gets shredded apple that is soaked in a little hot water for a healthy apple juice treat, he gets pieces of banana and other fresh fruits and veggies. He is clearly the center of their universe and we could not be happier for him. He and Moon have enjoyed playing together and then of course there is lap time too.
There is that face I so love.
Meeting Moon for the first time, there was quite the dance going on.
It's a dog thing, you wouldn't understand.
Bitey face, oh yeah!
Yoshi is quite smitten with the gorgeous Moon girl.
Yoshi and Moon play and Birdie gets in on it too.
Next Sunbeam, now Izzy, got to spend the night last night while her mom and dad went to a show. Her mom was also having a tough time saying goodbye, even for one night. Izzy is her parent's baby and they adore her. She is the light of their life and her mom told me she can't imagine her life without Izzy. She even texted me to tell Izzy good night for them last night. With Izzy being a returned pup, you can only imagine how happy this made us.Her mom reports that her SU/EU is very minimal and is not a problem at all. Good going Izzy! All she needed was some patience and time and her mom and dad are giving her that and being rewarded for their good work.
It was so nice to have all the dogs together again and they all had overlapped in our home at one point or another so all knew each other from before.
Izzy remembers the potty treats are kept here.
A kiss for mom and dad
Izzy has grown so much! Those ears are almost all the way up!
Easter Sunday was a great day for the first Rattie Meet Up at Mercer Island's wonderful Luther Burbank Park. There is a very nice small dog off leash park there. The all size part of the dog park is very cool too, with swimming and plenty of room to run. To sign up for email reminders of when and where Seattle area Rattie-Meet-Ups please click here http://www.meetup.com/ratterriersofseattle/
We weren't really sure how Moon would do at the dog park scene. But if there is anything I have learned about Moon that is never to assume anything when it comes to how she will react to something new. I carried her across the park and then into the off leash area. We stood there for a few minutes so she could check things out. Then I put her down and she did rattie runs around the place and showed everyone her speed. She ran after other dogs and allowed other ratties to run after her! She took treats from anyone passing them out and seeked out pets and attention from so many other rattie mom's and dad's. It is safe to say that Moon felt at home within the presence of all those rattie and small dog owners. This was such a great experience for her, and for us as her foster parents.
Moon has been with us just a little over 1 month now and she is certainly growing into a much more confident dog. We couldn't be happier for her.
Moon asking foster dad for a treat, and Liza gets in the picture too!
Moon checking out all those bags on the table, her nose tells her some of them hold more treats!!!
Here are a couple of videos with Moon showing her stuff. She is one fast girl and she really likes to run.
I bet that title got cha! This was supposed to go on for April 1st! Anyhow Happy April Fools Day a day late. Enjoy Moon running in her first snow back in March. We ended up getting about 6" total here in the convergence zone of Snohomish County.
These pictures were taken one day after a walk.....
As adoption coordinator for New Rattitude I get to talk to a lot of people about Rat Terriers. One of the things that comes up time and time and time again is the rattie "off switch". People who have had ratties before always tell me they love that ratties are energetic and athletic and smart....but the thing they like best is that they have an off switch. I tell people who have not had a rattie before and want to know what they are like and ask if they are like a Jack Russell Terrior that ratties have some similar traits to the JRT, they are intelligent, similar in size, can go go go, but the big difference is......ratties have an off switch! Applicants always say things like "oh that sounds like what I am looking for, a dog that can run and hike and play fetch but then when I want to watch TV or read, I would like a cuddler and for the dog to settle down. Here are the dogs in my house the other day demonstrating the "Rattie Off Switch"
Our senior boy Sage (notice the worn spot on the arm of my chair? that is where my girl Jenny-Boo paws to ask me to pick her up and put her in my lap :) I love that worn spot because it represents to me that she is comfortable being in my lap as there was a time when she was not.
And this is the famous Jenny-Boo (arm chair scratcher extraordinaire)
Liza-Bear our wonderful little Min Pin, she has an off switch too unlike many min-pins.
Skip wishing I would go away and let him sleep between my husbands legs in peace.
